How do I help my aging parents find the right home care agency?

If you are reading this blog, you are likely one of the millions of adult children who have come to the difficult realization that their parents are no longer safe at home without additional support. This is a tough pill to swallow, both because as children we often look to our parents for support and it's hard when the tables turn, and because most of us have never thought about, let alone prepared for this moment. 

When considering home-based support for the first time, or navigating how to support your aging parents, there are many factors to consider. These include: 

• How much care does my parent need? 
• What kind of care do they need- private duty care, home health care, personal care, or companionship?
• How much does it cost and how do I/we pay for it?

How can you tell the difference between low and high quality home care providers

3 Markers (or Indicators) of a Quality Home Care Provider

1. Training Standards

You’ll want to look for home care providers who take training seriously and invest deeply in training and education for their caregiving staff. 

Ask agencies what their training standards are. 

• What certifications do they require of their caregivers? 
• Do they provide any ongoing training? 
• What about peer mentorship? 
• Do they train on special conditions like dementia or diabetes? 

This last question is especially important if your parent has a specific medical condition that needs knowledgeable attention. 

2. Caregiver Turnover and Tenure

A high-quality home care agency that invests in its caregivers should have a lower turnover. Caregiver turnover (caregivers who leave their jobs or leave the field altogether) is a major problem in the home care field. Every year between 60-85% of an agency’s caregivers leave for other agencies or jobs. This is often a marker of poor job quality. 

High-quality home care providers will also have caregivers that stay with them for years (have long tenure).  The blog, What Makes a Los Angeles Home Care Job a Good Job shares more markers of what a good home care provider does. 

Like training standards, you should feel empowered to ask an agency what their turnover rate is, and if it's high, why. 

3. Customer Experience 

When you call an agency, do they ask you specific questions about your needs or the needs of your loved ones? Do they listen to understand? Do they give you adequate time and take the time to meaningfully answer your questions and not just “sell”? 

This is a more objective and highly personal measure of quality, but it can’t be overlooked. Your initial experience and the gut instincts you feel are often great measures of what your overall experience will be. If they don’t have time for you now in the sales process, they are not likely to have time for you when you have questions or concerns down the line. The only caveat to this rule is to make sure you maintain reasonable expectations too about your upfront asks and demands on time.  

Courage Home Care Cooperative works hard to provide the highest quality of care possible. We do that by investing in our caregiving workforce. We provide:

• Alzheimer's and Dementia Care training
• Paid annual 6 days of sick leave and workers’ compensation
• Operated and owned by its worker-owners 
• Shared democracy model; one member one vote model 
• Starting in June, we will be able to provide families with free respite care through our On Job Training for Workforce Development.  All caregivers who work with us for more than 9 weeks have the opportunity to become a co-owner of the company, run for the Board of Directors, and participate in committee work. 

We also invest in our clients. We have two existing clients that have been with Courage for more than 5 years. . 

That’s the cooperative difference in home care.  

If you are looking for quality care for yourself or your loved ones, give us a call and experience the difference of owner-led home care. 

Schedule a FREE Care Consultation today: Click here